


The Growing Pains of Fatherhood

by RoseAmaranth



Series: 31 Days of Autumn [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 31 Days Writing Challenge, Adopted Children, Autumn, Cute, Established Relationship, Family, First Day of School, Fluff and Angst, IronStrange, M/M, Married Life, Parent Stephen Strange, Parent Tony Stark, otp prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-28 17:41:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20970464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseAmaranth/pseuds/RoseAmaranth
Summary: It's the first day of school in the Stark-Strange household!





	The Growing Pains of Fatherhood

**Author's Note:**

> We just keep on trucking! Day 8 of my Autumn Prompt Series. Today's prompt is actually different than the one I originally had. It seemed repetitive to have 'halloween movie marathon' and 'horror movie marathon', so I changed this day's prompt to 'First Day of School'. Where I live, we typically start school in the fall.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Tony glanced over at the alarm clock on his nightstand and pressed his face into the pillow with a grunt. He was never much of a morning person anyway, and in his later years of life, he rarely could manage to wake before eleven. His late nights were being cut short as well, exhaustion more powerful now than it was in his youth. 

He hated aging with a passion. 

He tried to steal a few more seconds of precious sleep, but knobby knees in his ribs and hands patting along his back ruined any chance he had of maybe drifting off. He opened one eye to see shy dark ones watching him curiously, the boy squealing when he was discovered.

“Morgan! I said wake him, not perform a wrestling move on him.” Tony braced himself on his forearms, Morgan giggling and tumbling onto the bed next to him, and craned his neck to see the man standing in the doorway. Stephen was always quite the sight, and in the early morning sunshine, he was like a tall glass of ice-cold water in the middle of the driest desert. 

It was too early for Tony to be a lovesick sap, so he plopped back into his pillow and tried to curl under the covers. Which were ripped off of him with a huff.

“Tony, honestly, you're worse than the children. This is a big day for them, you know. And there are only so few of these moments left..” Ugh, Stephen was the absolute worst. Couldn't he just leave him to sleep in peace?

“Okay. Okay. I'm awake. I don't see why they have to even go to regular school; I went to boarding school and turned out wonderful.” Stephen offered him a glare, though he softened and ran a hand through Tony's bedhead.

“You said you wanted them to have a more normal life. Remember? Besides, didn't you say your father did that to get you out of the house? We don't want that for them.” They talked long and hard about schooling, balancing their lives as heroes and parents, and living situations before they even called the adoption agency. Tony was adamant about the kids getting as much normalcy in their lives as possible, which meant going to regular school. 

Besides, the kids lived with a genius and a bright former surgeon. Not to mention the many incredible brains of the Avengers they could pick and learn from as well. So, it wasn't like they would just be getting the somewhat substandard education of the general public (in Tony's opinion, anyway). Stephen and Tony agreed going to normal school was mostly to develop their social skills; something their little Robbie needed dearly. 

Tony scratched his chest and plopped down at the kitchen table, Riri picking through her cereal for all the marshmallows. Originally, Stephen and Tony wanted just one kid to start with. Get a handle on the whole parenting thing, but then Tony met the children at the orphanage and fell in love with the four wonderful children they had. Stephen wasn't exactly over the moon when Tony called for all the adoption papers for the sweet children, but he certainly wasn't complaining too much when having a family dinner or when they played out in the yard while Stephen sat on the porch swing with a smile.

It was a lot of hard work, especially since three of them were so close in age. Robbie, Morgan, and Riri were all eight and nine, while Robbie's brother was just four. But Pepper and Rhodey were always around to offer a hand when needed, and Thor loved playing video games with the kids while Tony did the dishes and Stephen took care of bathing. So, really, things were going so well. 

Stephen dished out the eggs and strawberries Morgan and Robbie asked for, glasses of milk and water appearing out of nowhere, and a kiss was dropped on Tony's head before Stephen was gone again. The children ate quietly, which was quite the feat since Morgan never seemed to stop talking.

“Are you guys excited for school?” They were going into second grade now, but living in an orphanage for as long as they had meant this would be the real first day of school for them. All month long, there was excitement as they picked out school supplies and backpacks, but now it was somber and oddly quiet. Tony crunched his cereal and waited for someone to speak.

“Not even a little? What about all the cool stuff you'll learn? Or the friends you'll make! School can be so awesome!” Robbie cut his strawberry into the smallest little bites, Morgan and Riri avoiding his eyes.

“Okay, I have their bags by the door, and I made their lunches last night. Robbie's teacher emailed about sending him with extra paper towels, so I packed those as well. We've got about twenty minutes before school starts, so let's hurry up- Why is everyone looking so downtrodden?” Stephen glanced from child to child before raising his brow expectantly at Tony. Finally, Morgan met their eyes and fiddled with her fork.

“Can't we just learn with you and Babbo? Aunt Nat says you guys are the smartest people in the whole world!” Stephen settled his hand on her head, glancing over at Robbie with a frown.

“Do you all feel this way?” They nodded. “I know this is scary. It's a big step, going out into the world and having to be the new kids. But school can really be a lot of fun. They have art classes-” Robbie glanced up at that, the most artistically inclined of the group.

“-music class-” Morgan perked up and took Stephen's hand, smiling over at Tony when he offered a thumbs up.

“-and I bet the science class will be really exciting. It was always my favorite in school.” How the man managed to turn a table of nervous silent children into the excited impatient ones they knew was beyond Tony. He was such a natural at being a father, while Tony struggled every day over what to say, what to do, if he was making the best decisions for them. It seemed effortless for Stephen.

“Hurry up, dad! We might be late!” Tony sat back and watched Stephen open the portal to the schoolyard, waving to the teacher's wide eyes before handing off lunches and giving everyone a kiss. The kids waved back at Tony, who could barely move at the moment, and scurried off to make friends and do whatever it was their teachers had in store. 

“Tony, are you okay?” Hands were carding through his hair, his head pressed against Stephen's sternum. When he tipped his head back to see Stephen's face, there was concern in his eyes. 

“How are you so good with them, yet I can't even get out of bed on time? I'm not built for this Steph; for being a father.” This talk they also had many times before ultimately deciding to go through with adopting the children they now had. Tony wanted children, he always had, but he was worried about this exact thing happening. He was failing as a parent. 

“Hey, that's not true. You're a fantastic Babbo. You helped Robbie learn how to ride a bike, and Morgan always looks forward to when you two have your little movie night together..” Stephen kissed his head. 

“Nobody is perfect at this. There are days I feel like we'll never be enough for them; that my life as a sorcerer will always get in the way and make me a bad father. We balance each other out, Tony, and that's what makes it work. I keep the schedules and take care of school, clubs, and meals. You fix all their things, teach them things like riding a bike, and show them the world of creativity and adventure you've always known. We work as a team, Tony. Never forget that. We're in this together.” Tony captured one of Stephen's hands and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. He was so perfect for Tony and the family. 

“You're such a mother, Stephen. Man, I love you.” His husband chuckled and pulled away.

“I'll call you when it's time to pick them up, okay? I should be home in time to make dinner. And I love you too.” The faded shirt and dark jeans turned into the tunic he always wore and he stepped through a portal. Tony waved to Wong, who nodded back and began speaking to Stephen. Twinkling blue eyes met his once more and then the portal closed between them.

As far as the first day of school went, well, it could only get better, right?

**Author's Note:**

> So, in case you are unfamiliar with the comics, I included the new younger Ghost Rider (Roberto "Robbie" Reyes) and Iron Heart (Riri Williams) as their adopted children. Then Morgan of course and the fourth is Robbie's younger brother, Gabe.
> 
> 31 Days of Fall!
> 
> 1\. Apple picking  
2\. Getting lost in a corn maze  
3\. Going to a pumpkin patch  
4\. Pumpkin Spice  
5\. Decorating for Halloween/Fall  
6\. Raking leaves  
7\. Masks  
**8\. First Day of School**  
9\. Hoodies & Scarves  
10\. Fireplaces  
11\. Blankets & Stargazing  
12\. Football  
13\. Farmer's Market  
14\. Bonfire and s'mores  
15\. Horror movie marathon  
16\. Carving Pumpkins  
17\. Apple Cider and Hot Chocolate  
18\. Avengers Fall Festival  
19\. The Smells of the Season (Scented candles, baking pies, etc)  
20\. Desserts  
21\. Red, Orange, and Gold  
22\. Costumes  
23\. Haunted House  
24\. Harry Potter  
25\. Apple pie  
26\. Ghosts  
27\. Magic Potions  
28\. Black Cats  
29\. Halloween Candy  
30\. Bones  
31\. Trick-or-Treating


End file.
